Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 353



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Hiding the House in the Apocalypse Episode 359

147. Mountain range (1)

According to a government announcement, the artillery of the corps that bombarded the new Seoul suffered catastrophic damage from friendly fire.

“You foolishly attacked the wrong person.”

Kim Byeong-cheol, with a cigarette tangled in his fingers, was staring at the large operation map on the table with bloodshot eyes.

“There is something like that. When you act as king in your own little kingdom, you become fearless.”

He called me because he had a mission.

We requested reconnaissance of the devastated warlord’s positions, filmed by drone.

It’s something that soldiers can do, but they called us because they have few resources available.

Although he recruited volunteers with the promise of food and better treatment, in addition to a few of Kim Byeong-cheol’s subordinates, planting a flag on territory, as always, requires a large number of people.

In addition, there were only a few troops that could be called elite among Kim Byeong-cheol’s subordinates, and above all, there were ominous traces in the drone aerial photos.

It’s a footprint.

It looks huge even at first glance.

“It’s a mutation.”

Kim Da-ram said.

“It looks like a feline.”

Kim Byeong-cheol nodded.

“Actually, we did send a vanguard unit. But those guys saw the shadow of a huge beast and fled. But you know, the beast looked like······.”

He put a cigarette in his mouth and blew white smoke out of his nose and ears simultaneously.

“······They said it looked like a tiger.”

Is there any animal that is as close to Korean sentiment as the tiger?

Although wild tigers have long since become extinct, we still treat them as if they were living right next to us, and feature them in various myths, legends, stories, and media.

In my case, I don’t have any special feelings about tigers.

The only thing I care about when it comes to tigers is that they are large cats, opportunistic predators that are adept at stealth and ambush, and are very fast.

But not all people in the world think the same way as I do.

There are still many people who regard tigers as spiritual beings.

“There used to be something called the Samshinsu. It was a particularly powerful and troublesome mutation.”

I know full well that Kim Da-ram is not that type.

She just had a collection of superstitious tales that other people had been telling.

“Among the government-mandated wanted mutations, these are the ones that are particularly hard to catch.”

“Was there a tiger among them?”

When Kim Byeong-cheol asked, Kim Da-ram shook his head.

“There was one more on top of that.”

She snorted, as if she thought it was absurd, and stared at the aerial photograph on the monitor with tired eyes.

“They were called Sangun.”

*

It was common knowledge in our time that mutations with a lot of experience and strong original species were more dangerous than monsters.

Monsters generally do not kill humans of their own volition.

Their sole purpose is to make the Earth sick, and murder is merely a side benefit.

But mutations are different.

While a significant number of mutations still avoid humans, those that include humans as their “prey” actively hunt and kill them.

The tiger mutation, dubbed the Nightmare of the Punjab, is said to have killed and eaten up to a thousand humans during its three-year existence in northern India.

If the guy called Sangun really is a tiger mutation, we can’t help but be on guard.

Kim Da-ram has the information.

“I think it’s an overrated mutation.”

She and I have similar ways of thinking.

In that it pursues reality rather than fantasy and prioritizes results over process.

“While other designated wanted mutations have objectively verifiable facts of damage, there is no data to suggest that Sangun has caused any damage.”

“But why is that Samshinsunji guy above you?”

I haven’t experienced all the famous mutations, but I think I’ve experienced a lot of the bad ones.

The armored monkey, the killer eagle owl, my now half-legendary friend Gold.

To be honest, it’s much more difficult to deal with than just any monster.

To beat those guys and claim the title of most dangerous mutation, you’ll need to have something special other than your tiger identity.

“There was a story like that. The reason why the damage from the mountain army is not reported is because no one survived from the mountain army.”

“okay?”

“They say that isolated villages and shelters are the hunting grounds of the mountain army, but in reality, there are quite a few villages and shelters that have disappeared.”

“It can’t be human work, right?”

“If it was in the early stages of the war, we can’t rule out the possibility that it was the work of Chinese special forces, but it seems that tiger footprints were discovered in such a completely destroyed village.”

Kim Da-ram sighed and stared at the drone photos on his tablet.

“These things came together to create the legend of Sangun.”

He looked at the squirrel and asked.

“Do you really believe that there is a mountain army?”

“no.”

Kim Da-ram answered with certainty.

The reconnaissance party set out at dawn.

The number of scouts is 8.

Four are hunters, three are soldiers, and the remaining one is a driver.

The vehicles assigned were wheeled armored vehicles.

Overhead, high-altitude reconnaissance drones follow our actions, providing us with real-time information about threats along our path.

As they are a powerful group, both their equipment and personnel are of a high standard.

“It’s not something you necessarily have to do, senior.”

Kim Da-ram opened his mouth while checking the equipment.

Our relationship is still awkward.

We were once considered the best teammates, but so many things have happened between us since then.

We can’t go back to the trusting, collegial relationship we had before.

That’s what I thought.

It’s something hazy, I don’t know if it’s the wisdom that comes with age or doubt.

“There’s nothing else to do, right? It looks like they’ll be concentrating on the cleanup battle for the time being. Besides.”

He added with a laugh.

“If there is a man named Sangun, I want to see him in person.”

Kim Da-ram stared at me intently, then opened his mouth with an expression on his face as if he had just remembered something.

“By the way, senior. Did you like Nightmare of the Punjab?”

“Punjab’s nightmare?”

I knew it, but I pretended not to.

“I’m talking about the mutation tiger that appeared in India.”

“Oh, that guy.”

“When I was in school, my senior told me, ‘If I ever get the chance to go to India, I want to try it out.’”

“Was it like that?”

“Yeah. I remember it clearly because it was a story told by a senior who rarely talked about personal matters.”

“······okay?”

Perhaps what Kim Da-ram said is right.

My pathological curiosity was already showing clear signs during my school days.

While major countries were debating whether to support India or abandon it on the eve of India’s destruction, many young people voluntarily crossed over to India.

Most of it was lost with India, but some lucky people provided the world with valuable information, and I have enjoyed it quite a bit.

The tiger, known as the nightmare of Punjab, would have been one of them.

Because he was so famous.

“Since we’re both tigers, I had the thought that that’s why you volunteered for this mission.”

“No, that’s not it. I was just intrigued by the name Sangun itself.”

The word ‘Sangun’ (山君) refers to a mountain spirit, but during the Joseon Dynasty, it was also used to refer to a tiger, a fearsome beast that caused trouble.

It is not known whether tigers actually exist in Korea.

Although it is true that tigers are extinct in the wild in Korea, it is also possible that mutations have occurred in individuals that escaped from zoos.

But the most likely one would be a mutation of the cat.

The story goes that if a cat’s fur pattern happened to have a similar coloring to a tiger’s and the cat harmed many people, the myth of the infamous place name mutation called Sangun could have been born.

“okay?”

Kim Da-ram asked suddenly, but there was no answer.

There is one reason why I cannot answer.

“······.”

I need to start looking for materials soon.

I’m talking about material for the internet, not for reality.

Recently, there’s been a guy imitating me.

*

The influx of Necropolis has extended the life of our bulletin board, which was my intention, but as is the case with most things, good things rarely happen all the time.

Dead3713: (Jeremy Irons) The End of the So-Called World Star “Ainz” (3)

The first impression wasn’t bad.

I thought he was a good friend who was impressed by me, a legendary name on the bulletin board, and was imitating me.

It can’t be helped, that familiar heading.

Wasn’t my perfect identity made up of a skeleton in John Nae-non?

But this anonymous user started to become increasingly annoying after I noticed that his posts were frequent, no, whenever he posted something, it would become a popular post.

Dead 118: (Jeremy Irons) The sad ending of the nation’s cousin “Yang Ja-hee” (3)

Jeremy Irons.

This malicious impersonator was strangely familiar with the fates of so-called celebrities of the past.

As some critics have pointed out, I also believe that Jeremy Irons’ “Celebrity’s Wretched Words” series is not based on reality, but is a fiction squeezed from Jeremy Irons’ personal imagination, but the ignorant masses that currently fill the message boards are different.

Dead Man 894: Wow······ Yang Ja-hee became a plunderer······?

Deadman7313: Why did you go to Busan when it wasn’t even your hometown?

Dead3121: There was a story that the divorced mother was from Busan. That’s a plausible story.

Dead Man 211: You must have been treated badly by the soldiers before you were shot······?

…

…

I’m strangely enthusiastic about the fictional story Jeremy Irons has created.

It is well known that South Koreans love gossip and are interested in celebrities, but is it right to be interested in this situation, four years after the start of the war?

Well, it may be that the secret to its popularity is not ordinary news, but rather provocative keywords such as “final words” and “last words”.

Now, I don’t mean to brag, but I think I have quite a bit of knowledge when it comes to “ssul”.

It’s not my place as a named person to follow the trend, but to celebrate moving, I’ve finally started working on the Skeleton’s Tale series that was on hiatus for a while.

SKELTON: (Original Skeleton) Skeleton’s Story Series (1)

The story is about the Finger Princess Lady Yul.

Before the war, he was a first-class actor, on a different level from the second-rate entertainers Jeremy Irons portrayed. After the war, his whereabouts were unknown, but he showed up on our bulletin board and we developed a bit of an internet friendship. He told us a series of stories in a candid manner.

Of course, it’s not a fun story and there are no dramatic elements.

But this story is 100% based on truth.

This means that it has a different level of weight from Jeremy Irons’ science fiction novels.

Just to make sure, I also used a sub-account to leave a recommendation and a comment.

Dr. Emily: Hmm….. So that happened to the “national actress” Yeo Sa-yul…..

But I thought that comment would be the last one.

There are thousands of people crawling from the Necropolis alone, and the fact that none of those squeaky-talkers left a single comment on my post was deeply hurtful to me, who was already hurt by the “copycats” who copied me.

I had no choice but to restart my business.

SKELTON: (Original Skeleton) Skeleton’s story series “The current status of Yeo Sa-yul” (1)

…

SKELTON: (Original Skeleton) Skeleton’s story series “Yeosa Yul’s sad ending” (1)

…

SKELTON: (Original Skeleton) Skeleton’s story series “The shocking end of Yeo Sa-yul” (1)

…

I changed the title several times, but it still doesn’t seem to work.

Meanwhile.

Anonymous458: Skeleton. Why do you keep reuploading? It’s so ugly.

A friend I know well on the bulletin board gave me some advice.

While I was at it, I asked him directly.

SKELTON: Why aren’t there any comments on my posts?

To this, Anonymous458 gave a cold, short answer.

Anonymous458: Because it’s not fun.

It’s not fun.

Which one is not fun?

Is it that my story structure, which is honestly based on facts, is not interesting? Or is it that the ending of the story, which is ambiguous, is not interesting?

Perhaps the public was not very interested in the boring celebrity Yeo Sa-yul, who had already been dug up as much as possible before the war.

Jeremy Irons posted a new article shortly after I reuploaded it several times, as if to make matters worse.

Anonymous5321: (Jeremy Irons) “One Hit Wonder” Jang Hye-na’s Current Status (1)

Unlike my article, which only received one recommendation, his article quickly surpassed twenty recommendations and became a popular article.

Click

I read the bastard’s writing, trying to calm my boiling heart.

“······.”

It’s fun.

But it’s a matter of material.

He just happened to find better material.

If I can find better material, the Skeleton series, which once lost face, will enjoy the same popularity as before.

Well, that may be one of the reasons why I was brought here.

“Here it is.”

The armored vehicle stopped.

Soon, the drone pilot’s broadcast filled the radio.

“No hostile forces within the operation area. I repeat, no hostile forces within the operation area. However, there may be an ambush, so proceed with caution.”

I exchanged glances with Kim Da-ram.

Clank-

The doors of the armored vehicle opened and soldiers carrying reinforced plastic shields stepped forward.

“Clear!”

I passed them, standing like a wall, and stood on the snowy field.

Low mountainous area.

Although covered in snow that fell all night, the remains of broken field guns can be seen here and there.

They bombarded the new Seoul with great momentum, but they appear to have been annihilated by retaliatory artillery fire accompanied by artillery radar.

Judging by the frozen hands and legs sticking out of the snow here and there, the damage must have been so severe that even the bodies could not be recovered.

“I’ll do the search. You stand guard.”

Even though he was my junior, Kim Da-ram did something bad.

No, maybe it was my desire to major in something, even just a little bit, that took precedence.

I took a leisurely stroll around the area with an unknown soldier.

Something striking was soon captured.

These are the footprints of an animal.

“······This is huge.”

The soldier muttered in surprise as he looked at the footprints.

big.

There are footprints larger than an adult’s head.

It’s not a cat.

It far exceeds the size that a cat can grow to through mutation.

Maybe it’s a tiger.

A Siberian tiger mutation that has never been reported before.